Container for a stack of articles

ABSTRACT

A plurality of articles are stacked one atop another in a container with removable separator strips therebetween as a packaged unit ready for sale, and a portion of the container is removable to enable subsequent removal of the lowermost of the articles, one by one.

United States Patent [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS [72] inventors Bess P. Gilmore;

John C. Gilmore, both of ii Hardening n um nc o mr m U. SmmC d o e w mhaflmwbo JTGRBS.LB 22 0962 66665521 .99999999 HHHHHHHH 23853l 31 34448824 46483854 .93 .9 1 67675181 62937708 332222 0 8 8 6 0 n n o C m on m 99 81 M-MZZ mom LSA Pmw AFD-

Primary Examiner-Leonard Summer m L m R A F 0 m n 5 W A mm m. R m N5 l n m mm C3 M U Anomey-Waters, Roditi, Schwartz and Nissan ABSTRACT: A plurality of articles are stacked one atop another in a container with removable separator strips therebetween as a packaged unit ready for sale, and a portion of the container is removable to enable subsequent removal of the lowermost of the articles, one by one.

CONTAINER FOR A STACK OF ARTICLES BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to the packaging of a number of articles, such as cigarette packs, bars of soap etc.

Heretofore in the sale of cigarettes, which are sold by the carton in packs of ten, the packs are generally removed from the carton and stored individually in a drawer, or the like, or also a place is made for the storage of the carton and the packs removed one by one as needed. Additionally, various types of separate dispensers are known in which the cigarette packs can be stored until needed.

An object of the invention is to provide a container, which serves as a carton for a plurality of stacked articles and is sold therewith as a combined package, said container being adapted to enable the removal of the articles one by one.

A further object of the invention is to provide a container of the above type which can be simply modified by removal of a portion thereof to provide a dispenser outlet for the removal of the lowermost of the articles in the stack.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide a container of the above type which is easily attached to a wall where it is to be used and is attractive and does not appreciably add to the cost of the articles stored therein. Thus, the container may be used in homes, offices, vehicles etc.

According to the invention, there is provided a container defining an enclosure for a plurality of objects of the same size stacked one on top of the other in a single column in the container, and dispenser means for said objects constituted by a portion of the container which is displaceable with respect to the remainder thereof to define a dispenser outlet for the lowermost of the stacked objects in the container while the remainder of the objects are retained in the container.

In one embodiment, the removable portion hanging the container is the bottom thereof and the dispenser means comprises slidable tabs between successive objects to support the objects until they are ready for removal whereupon the tabs are removed one by one to release the objects which drop through the now open bottom.

In another embodiment, the removable portion of the container is a removable tab adjacent the bottom of the container extending a sufficient perimetral distance along the walls of the container, to enable engagement and removal of the lowermost object in the stack.

The container preferably includes means enabling hanging thereof from a wall or other support.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a container according to the invention, partly broken away to show the interior thereof;

FIG. 2 is a sectional elevation view of the container in readiness for dispensing'of the contents;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a portion of a modified version of the container of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the container; and

FIG. 5 is a sectional elevation view of the container of FIG. 4 showing the removal of an article.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Referring to FIG. I, therein is shown a container 1 for a stack of identical articles 2 conforming to the shape of the container. The invention will hereafter be described assuming that thearticles are packs of cigarettes although other articles such as bars of soap or the like can also be used.

The container is made of cardboard, and the cigarette packs are enclosed therein for being sold therewith as is conventional. However, the cigarette packs are stacked in a single column instead of the usual two rows for a purpose to be discussed more fully hereafter.

The container is stored vertically and for this purpose the rear wall 3 of the container can be provided with an adhesive layer 4 for removable affixation to a wall or cabinet or the like. The adhesive layer may be protected by a removable paper layer 5. 7

Alternatively, the rear wall 3 may be provided with a portion 6 which can be punched out to receive a nail or the like so that the container can be suspended from the nail. Preferably the region around portion 6 can be reinforced to sustain the weight of the package without tearing the container.

A line of perforations 7 is provided all around the walls of the container I at the bottom of the container so that when the bottom is removed at the perforations 7 the container is entirely open thereat.

In order to retain the packs of cigarettes in the container, there are provided tabs or separator strips 8 slidably mounted in walls 9 and 10 of container 1, each tab supporting a respective pack of cigarettes and holding the same in readiness for subsequent removal. When it is desired to remove a pack of v cigarettes, the lowest tab 8 is removed and the lowermost pack drops through the open bottom of the container. The procedure is repeated until the last pack has been removed whereupon the container is removed from the wall and a fresh container replaced thereon.

In a second embodiment shown in FIG. 4, the arrangement is similar to that in FIG. 1 except that the container need not have clearance therebeneath for the removal of the packs. In FIG. 4, the container la is provided with a removable tab 11 which is attached to the remainder of the container by lines of perforations 12. The tab 11 extends perimetrally around the container over a sufficient extent to enable manual engagement and removal of the lowermost pack when the tab II has been removed as shown in FIG. 5. The bottom 13 of the container remains intact to furnish rigidly for the container. In addition to attachment of the container la to a wall, it can also rest on a horizontal surface.

Although tabs 8 have been shown for the support of the packs in the container 1a in FIG. 4, these tabs may be eliminated, in which case the entire weight of the articles rests on the bottom 13 of the container. In the latter case, it is preferable to provide a longitudinal slot 14 in the front wall 15 of the container In so that the number of packs of cigarettes remaining in the carton is visible. visible.

From the above, it is seen that there has been provided a container which defines an enclosure for a plurality of stacked articles, the container including a removable portion which defines a dispenser outlet for the lowermost of the stacked articles while the. remainder of the articles are retained in the container.

Although the invention has been described with reference to preferred embodiments thereof, it is evident that numerous variations and modifications will become apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

What I claim is:

I. An article comprising a container defining an enclosure of rectangular cross section for a plurality of stacked objects of the same shape and size in a single column in said container, said container including upstanding walls, a top and a bottom, said walls defining a front, a back and opposite sides for the container, said bottom being joined to said walls by a line of perforations so as to be removable therefrom and provide an open bottom for the container through which the objects are removable, a plurality of removable separator strips each slidably and removably engaged in said sides of the container and supporting a respective object, said separator strips being removable from either side of the container to release the objects which they support for discharge thereof through the open bottom of the container, and means on the backwall of the container for affixing the container to a support such that the objects are stacked vertically and are discharged after release by the action of gravity.

fixing the container to the support comprises an adhesive layer on said back, and a removable paper layer on said adhesive layer 

1. An article comprising a container defining an enclosure of rectangular cross section for a plurality of stacked objects of the same shape and size in a single column in said container, saiD container including upstanding walls, a top and a bottom, said walls defining a front, a back and opposite sides for the container, said bottom being joined to said walls by a line of perforations so as to be removable therefrom and provide an open bottom for the container through which the objects are removable, a plurality of removable separator strips each slidably and removably engaged in said sides of the container and supporting a respective object, said separator strips being removable from either side of the container to release the objects which they support for discharge thereof through the open bottom of the container, and means on the backwall of the container for affixing the container to a support such that the objects are stacked vertically and are discharged after release by the action of gravity.
 2. An article as claimed in claim 1 wherein said front wall is provided with a longitudinal slot to show the number of objects in the container.
 3. An article as claimed in claim 2 wherein the means for affixing the container to the support comprises an adhesive layer on said back, and a removable paper layer on said adhesive layer. 